Barbie led to cells in handcuffs

2010-02-24 14:47

Pretoria - Convicted molester Cézanne Visser, also known as "Advocate Barbie", was handcuffed and led to the cells of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday after being sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing young girls and women.

There was no other appropriate sentence, given the seriousness of the crimes, Acting Judge Chris Eksteen said in passing sentence.

Visser was jailed for 11 sex-related charges, including indecently assaulting two teenage girls and soliciting a teenager to commit indecent acts; indecently assaulting two women and benefiting from the indecent assault of a third; defrauding a children's home and possession and manufacturing of child pornography.

Blamed Prinsloo

In an orderly community, Visser, with her legal qualifications, could be expected not to sexually abuse women and children, Eksteen said, finding that her remorse appeared to be "lip service".

She had tried to justify her actions and had blamed her former lover Dirk Prinsloo, for what she had done, he said.

She had rejected her conservative upbringing in favour of Prinsloo's immoral lifestyle, in the process traumatising young girls.

While the court accepted that she would not commit similar crimes again, it had to take into account the community's abhorrence and righteous indignation about crimes against women and children.

It accepted evidence that Prinsloo was a narcissistic and manipulative man, but stressed that none of the other women in his life had committed crimes because of his abuse.

"What he did with other women does not excuse your deeds," Eksteen told Visser.

Difference between right and wrong

Although Prinsloo had made Visser his sex slave and influenced her conduct, she knew the difference between right and wrong and nevertheless decided to satisfy him.

In the process, she had involved young girls from children's homes who were already at a disadvantage and were particularly vulnerable to wrong influences, Eksteen said.

Visser knew that a children's home would be more likely to allow two married advocates to take out young girls and she had therefore pretended to be married to Prinsloo.

Her visits to the children's home had been carefully planned and she had taken the initiative to get the children, whose vulnerability she and Prinsloo "exploited inhumanly".

All three children were exposed to pornographic videos and magazines. They had to watch Visser and Prinsloo having both oral sex and sex.

Visser had also demonstrated the use of a vibrator to one of the girls.

Sexual sadist

"One shudders at the thought that you purposely went to fetch children, knowing that they would fall prey to a sexual sadist and that you knew they would be drugged for sexual deeds," Eksteen said.

Referring to photos depicting Visser involved in an explicit sexual act with an under-aged black girl - who was paid R100 and given a cooldrink for her involvement - Eksteen found that Visser had been the end-user of the child pornography.

A child had already been involved at that stage and her life probably destroyed.

Eksteen said Visser's adult victims had also been traumatised. One of them had worked as Prinsloo's secretary for a week when she was involved in sexual acts.

Another woman was gradually conditioned, with Visser and Prinsloo having oral sex in front of her. She was saved further sexual abuse by resigning in time.

A ruling on Visser's application for leave to appeal was expected later on Wednesday.

- SAPA